Which form of macular degeneration is more serious? l was recently diagnosed with the dry form of macular degeneration. is this form more or less likely to cause vision loss or other problems than the wet form?

Macular : Macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of vision loss in the elderly population. The two types are the wet type, and the dry form. The dry is considered less severe and less aggressive than the wet form.

This : This is actually an interesting question. The answer is that both forms cause vision loss. Dry mac degen causes a slow progression, so this is better in some ways. On the other hand, there is no treatment for the dry form, so the end result may be very severe loss of vision. Wet md causes a more sudden loss of vision due to bleeding or swelling. There is treatment, in the form of injected medications, that can halt the progression, and in 50% of patients may actually cause some improvement!

Yes, : Yes, the dry type is more benign than the wet type. Thus less likely to cause vision loss.

Both : Both dry and wet forms of amd can cause vision loss. Dry amd is usually slowly progressive and can eventually cause vision loss as geographic atrophy develops over a number of years. Wet amd can cause severe vision loss very quickly (in a number of weeks or months) through the formation of abnormal leaky blood vessels and must be treated promptly to prevent further vision loss. The good news is that there are therapies for wet amd that are 95% effective in preventing vision loss and can actually improve vision in 30-40% of patients.